Sunday marks the finale of AMC's 'Breaking Bad,' but that doesn't mean Albuquerque residents are going into mourning. Instead they are getting ready to celebrate with watch parties and red carpet casting events.

Local Jesuit volunteers at Immaculate Conception Church will
hold a watch party in the basement of the downtown church while other fans
will gather at Hotel Albuquerque for a special VIP showing serviced with
special cocktails named after 'Breaking Bad' characters.

The town's celebration of the hit show's finale is perhaps not so surprising given the new business it has brought to the area.

The southwestern New Mexico city that's
played home to the Emmy-award winning series for the last five seasons
is and will continue to benefit from a tourism boost thanks to the
drama's popularity.

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'Breaking Bad' stars Aaron Paul (left) and Bryan Cranston make meth during an episode that aired during Season 5

Debbie Ball, owner of Albuquerque's The Candy Lady, spoke to The Independentabout creating blue rock sugar that substituted as crystal meth during the first two seasons of 'Breaking Bad.'

'After
the show's star Bryan Cranston handed one to David Letterman on air
last July, (Ball) sold 30,000 bags in 12 months, profits increased by 20
per cent, and the counterfeit Class A now accounts for a quarter of her
daily sales.'

'Albuquerque itself has become… a
really important character in our show,'Cranston said recently. 'It
gave it a justifiable location. A sound, solid place that not many
people have related to. They've seen Los Angeles, they've seen New York,
but they haven't really seen Albuquerque.'

The show follows former high school teacher Walter White,
played by Bryan Cranston, producing methamphetamine with a former
student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul.

The Octopus Car Wash in Albuquerque has been a part of "Breaking Bad" since Season 1 when Walter White took a part-time job there and later in the series it was used as a cover to launder his drug money.

Despite its dark themes of drug
trafficking and violence, tourism officials say 'Breaking Bad' highlighted neighborhoods around the city and gave viewers a sense of
Albuquerque.

The show displayed the city's downtown Route 66, its
various stores and restaurants, and even took audiences to Latino
barrios and nearby American Indian Pueblos - places rarely seen in
Hollywood.

A city-run website detailing locations of scenes - from seedy motels to
the one-time headquarters of a now deceased drug lord - has seen tens of
thousands of visitors.

'Breaking Bad' fans from all over the world have traveled to Albuquerque to view Walter and Skylar White's fictional home. The owners of the home have reported counting over 400 visitors a day pacing the street outside of their home

Tourists even like to visit the exterior of the White's house. The
Independent reveals that the home's occupants have owned the house since
the 1960s and are retired. According the the paper, they like fans who stop by to look at their house as
long as they are 'respectful' and don't try and jump in their pool.

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Before the show, Albuquerque didn't have an image,' said Ann Lerner,
Albuquerque's film liaison. 'When I started this job in 2003 and I
mentioned New Mexico, people would say, `Oh, I love Santa Fe.' No one
thought of Albuquerque.'

That has changed in the five seasons that 'Breaking Bad' has aired on AMC, growing its reputation and buzz as
Netflix users raced to catch up on previous episodes. Since then,
trolley and private limo tours of scenes from the show have sold out and
created waiting lists that go on for weeks.

The series, she said, has boosted inquiries to the city's film office, which offers a tax incentive to productions that film in the state. And two more television series are currently under production, Lerner said.

Twisters served as Gustavo Fring's Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant in 'Breaking Bad', Seasons 2 through 4. A colorful Los Pollos Hermanos chicken logo remains on the wall just inside the Twisters entrance as a reminder of its role in the award winning AMC series.

That underground saint was shown in one season opener and was the spiritual protector of the show's cartel assassins, cousins Leonel and Marco.

Meanwhile, the show has become a weekly social media event during every airing as Albuquerque residents and visitors post photos and links of sites they've visited.

Often, a character's death or a single quote can spark a hashtag on Twitter to trend worldwide.

'Breaking Bad's' Christian "Combo" Ortega sold meth to customers in front of Burt's Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque, New Mexico

'We expect this craze to continue for a while,' said Tania Armenta, a vice-president for the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau.

'All this has translated into more visitors who come here and then enjoy all aspects of the city.'

The show recently won the Emmy for outstanding drama while co-star Anna Gunn, who plays Skylar White, won for best supporting actress in a drama series.

Actor Bryan Cranston (3rd-R) and members of 'Breaking Bad' pose in the press room with the Best Drama Emmy during the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles

In accepting the award for best drama series, show creator Vince Gilligan even gave Albuquerque a shoutout. 'Thank you to a wonderful crew in Albuquerque, N.M.,' he said, generating more buzz on social media.

On finale night, a number of watch parties have been scheduled around town and food related to the show has been ordered in advance.

'I'm nervous,' said Lerner, who plans on joining the city's watching frenzy but from her own living room. 'I have no idea how it's going to end.'